The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

However, Ethan didn’t really think Nova was that overwhelmingly formidable.

In his mind, she was certainly no match for a true professional assassin–or even Zane and Maxwell.

‘Maybe she just has sharper senses. That doesn’t really mean much,‘ Ethan thought.

“I heard you turned down Zane’s invitation to be his partner? Why?” Ethan suppressed his inner shock and asked, his face full of curiosity.

He didn’t even hesitate.

As one of the school’s heartthrobs, Ethan was aligned with Zane’s circle and a member of the Taekwondo Club.

Yet, among the girls at Saint Laurel Royal Academy, he was far less popular compared to Zane and Maxwell.

At the top of the popularity ranking was the aloof heartthrob, Zane.

Second was the warm–yet–cool heartthrob, Maxwell.

Ethan, with his cute looks, was clearly far behind the other two.

And yet, Nova had casually refused Zane–hands down the most popular guy–without a second thought.

That was what shocked Ethan the most.

“You free?” Nova didn’t answer his question directly. She said it lazily instead.

The conversation made no sense.

“Uh?” Ethan froze. He didn’t understand what Nova meant by suddenly asking that.

‘Wait? I’m asking her here, right?‘ he thought.

“If you’re free, come help me with a little task,” Nova said as she stood up and started walking toward the teaching building, clearly having no intention of answering Ethan’s question.

“Huh?” Ethan, completely baffled, watched Nova walk ahead, utterly confused.

He scratched his head.

Suddenly, a cold, sharp voice cut through the air. “Follow me.”

The commanding tone made Ethan shiver, his shoulders twitching.

He didn’t know why, but instinctively, he scampered after her.

By the time Ethan fully registered what was happening, his right hand was holding a broom, his left a

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dustpan.

Ethan, one of the heartthrobs of Saint Laurel Royal Academy and heir to the prestigious Summers family- one of the three major families of Ravencourt–was now helping Nova sweep the floor in her classroom.

He pinched the broom in disbelief. I’m a top–tier heir of a wealthy family, and yet I’m being bossed around by a silly woman? Unforgivable, he wondered.

“Damn it, Nova, why do you keep ordering me to-” He didn’t finish his sentence.

Perched on the teacher’s podium, legs crossed, Nova ignored him entirely. “Not bad. You have a talent for this.”

Ethan instantly straightened his back, puffing out his chest.

Then, brimming with confidence, he pursed his lips and boasted. “Of course. Not to brag, but my talent is unmatched. Just give me a minute–I’ll have this whole classroom spotless.”

With that, he swung the broom, moving as fast as the wind.

Luckily, Nova’s classroom was empty; all the students had gone to the birthday party.

If anyone had seen Ethan being made to work by Nova, they would have been completely shocked.

A minute later, Ethan leaned on the mop, sweating, surveying the results of his labor.

He beamed proudly at Nova. “How’s that? Am I not amazing?”

Nova walked over and glanced at the floor. He had cleaned it neatly and thoroughly.

“Not bad. When it’s my turn for duty next time, I’ll expect your help,” Nova said softly, a faint curve on her lips.

Saint Laurel Royal Academy was a school for nobles, but it emphasized teaching the children of wealthy families to be independent.

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Students took turns cleaning classrooms and common areas, similar to a high school system. Today happened to be Nova’s turn on duty.

Nova’s words immediately snapped Ethan back to reality.

His expression stiffened as he realized he was being bossed around again.

“You damn foolish woman, you actually-” Ethan dropped the mop, his fingers trembling with anger.

He had just started to shout when a candy, seemingly appearing from nowhere, was accurately tossed into his mouth by Nova.

The rich sweetness forced him to stop talking, and he sucked in a few breaths of the sugary scent.

It was very sweet.

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Nova, still with that slight smile, regarded Ethan like a cute boy.

She drawled, “Here, consider this a reward.”

She was coaxing him like a child.

Ethan’s face turned bright red, unsure if it was from anger or something else.

He stared blankly as Nova left the classroom. Only after a long while did he exhale fully.

He had been led by Nova the entire time.

Her presence was so strong, so dominant, that resisting her rhythm was impossible.

She was no ordinary girl.

*****

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Nova had refused Zane’s birthday party.

After leaving the classroom, she found a quiet corner to wait until the party ended.

She hadn’t left school, waiting instead for Sophia.

When Sophia contacted her, the birthday party was already over.

“Ah, the teacher asked me to help organize some materials. Sorry, I missed our playtime again. My bad, Nova, for keeping you waiting,” Sophia said.

“It’s fine,” Nova replied.

They parted ways at the school gate.

“See you tomorrow, Nova. Oh, I forgot to tell you there’s a self–defense class tomorrow morning. Get ready. The instructor has a bad temper but is very skilled,” Sophia said as she got into the car.

Nova watched Sophia leave, waved, and turned to walk back to Blake Villa.

She got home later than Maxwell and Hannah.

And she went straight to her room.

So, as usual, she never ended up seeing either of them.

Since she had exercised early that morning, she went to bed early.

She slept a full night, dreamless.

******

The next day, the first two periods were a self–defense class.

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Freshman Year Class A students changed into their martial arts uniforms during the break and went to the main playground to wait for the instructor.

The self–defense instructor was a middle–aged man with a neatly trimmed black beard and sharp features.

He looked extremely stern, with a square face and a tall, muscular build.

His name was Ronan Vale.

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As soon as he arrived, the students quickly lined up, faces full of awe and fear, as if falling behind even a little would get them devoured by a demon.

In truth, Ronan was famous throughout the academy for his strength and ferocity.

He was said to have mastered twelve combat disciplines–including Taekwondo, martial arts, fighting techniques, boxing, and hand–to–hand combat–and excelled in every single one.

Naturally, the students were intimidated.

“Is everyone here?” Ronan scanned the crowd, frowning deeply.

His gaze soon pinned an outstanding figure among the crowd, Nova, as sharp as nails.

His voice was rough. “You’re a newcomer? And a girl? You’re new here, and you won’t be able to keep up the others. Step aside immediately.”

In Ronan’s mind, only men could truly learn self–defense properly.

The reason was simple.

Men were stronger and had inherent physical advantages.

If he weren’t a teacher, Ronan would never have bothered teaching female students martial arts.

Thus, his tone toward Nova was full of condescension.

Nova immediately felt the contempt. She furrowed her brows but didn’t move.

Instead, she said softly, “I can keep up with the others.”

In other words, she did not need to step aside.

Ronan ruled through strength.

No student in the academy had ever dared to talk back to him.

Nova’s words angered him.

Moreover, he had always looked down on women, let alone an ordinary female student.

Besides, with so many students watching, Ronan felt his authority and dignity gravely insulted.

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He glared at Nova and threatened harshly, “Shut up. Do as I say. If I tell you to step aside, you step aside. Otherwise, don’t even think about learning anything here. Get out of my class.”

It was as if merely being allowed to learn self–defense from him was a tremendous honor.

After all, every student in the academy wanted to study under Ronan.

His skill was unmatched, and the students he trained were among the strongest.

Other students not taught by Ronan weren’t even qualified to attend his classes.

“Nova, just listen. Step aside,” Sophia said kindly, trying to persuade her.

The other students had seen Nova’s emerging skills and heard rumors of her defeating Logan.

But compared to Ronan, those abilities seemed trivial.

Everyone expected Nova to yield.

Yet what happened next was completely unexpected.

Nova’s eyes were as sharp and cold as a blade as they lingered on Ronan for two seconds.

Then she spoke words that left the entire class dumbfounded. “I don’t need to take your class. Because with your skill, you aren’t worthy of teaching me.”

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